Redressing the balance....share your GOOD experience with motorists

So, in light of all the 'altercation' and 'road-rage' threads flying around, I thought it may be time to redress the balance slightly.

I had a lovely ride home yesterday;

- 2 cars let me out of side roads
- 1 car overtook me, then had to brake, causing me to brake...he put his hand up to apologise
- a car waited patiently in a traffic calming area (my right of way) while I panted up-hill past her. She had tonnes of time, and could easily have gone if she wanted to

Earlier in the year, I came off a cropper on some black ice (typically the day after I took the spikes off ), and a car immediately pulled over to make sure I was ok.

WHite vans round here - semi-rural - are waaay more considerate than you'd expect (and far far more so than the 4x4s )

I had a guy wait for me to go past up a hill before he turned across me into his driveway the other week. I grimaced some appreciation and he laughed his boobies right off. Then shouted a bit of "encouragement" after me (if you count "go on, you're faster than most" - though clearly a lie anyway)

Admittedly when in the US touring last year, people used to often shout encouragment out of their windows or give a friendly beep and wave. Some would just pull over and offen me a cold drink or food, other times if I was stopped having a rest or something to eat they would slow down and check I was okay.

Back here in Edinburgh I find the car drivers generally quite good. The other day I heard a squeal of brakes behind me and looked back expecting to see some stupid driving but they were just trying to avoid going through a puddle and splashing me! And in a long stretch of roadworks recently a guy in a car told me to go infront of him and he'd drive slowly behind me stopped people trying to squeeze past.

I've noticed black cabs are a lot more considerate these days, but that may be due to the sheer number of cyclists in London unfortunately Addison Lee drivers have take up their mantle of being complete d1cks.

IME 90% of drivers on my commute/on rides are aware of bikes and act accordingly.

I don't have a set route. There are various options, and at this point I either turn right and cut through some back streets or carry on to the traffic lights and turn right there. There's not much difference and I have no realpreference, other than if traffic is busy the right turn at the lights is easier/safer to get in the right position on the road.

I approach the first option and look behind me but see a stream of traffic so decide not to pull over to the middle of the road and go to the lights instead. Except the driver behind has seen me look (no signal as I decided not to turn, so just the look), slows down and makes room for me. At this point I realise I'd better make the most of it and turn to avoid confusing him, and he hung behind me until I'd completed the turn even though there was time to pass on my left.

The vast majority are aware of me being on the road, give me room, don't misjudge turnings nearly knocking me off and are quite polite. There are a few out there who don't conform to any, or all, of the above but I suspect it's way less than ten percent.

Had quite a few good mannered moves off motorists. On one of my regular routes, there is some of them priority give way build outs and loads have people have waited patiently whilst I've gone through when they could easily forced way through.

One recently when we had all that snow we had 5 - 6 foot drifts blocking one side of a narrow lane. Occasionally there was the odd bit to pull into treating it like a passing place and my mate and I pulled in to let a car behind pass and he gave a friendly beep beep and a flash of he hazards.

About this time last year I saw a white transit driver dump on the brakes, nearly get rear-ended, all to let a little fluffy bunny cross the road, I gave him a wave from the cycle lane an he gave me a thumbs up!

Had a car sit behind me while grinding my way up a climb a week or so ago. No revving, trying to inch past (it's a singletrack road with a bit of a drop to one side) or anything, which I thought was nice.

Ignoring the damage it would do to my Strava score I pulled in and slowed down at one of the passing places, only for the car to slow down behind me. Thinking that perhaps the driver didn't like the look of where he'd have to overtake or something I carried on again with the car behind me.

I pulled over again at the next passing place but again the car just slowed down - keeping a safe distance all the time - and waited for me to carry on.

This started to wind me up a bit, so I pulled right over to let the car past and, as it did so, the passenger window wound down and the driver leant over to say something to me.

Obviously I was expecting some sort of barrage of abuse and was ready with my set piece arguements about why I had every right to be there/he was a crap driver/death to all etc, so was quite shocked when the suit wearing occupant politely announced that he was going to ride over this particular hill as part of a challenge in a few days time and was simply getting an idea of how tough it was and how long it would take on a bike.

For the most part I don't get too many issues on a mostly fast A road commute but there's always the odd one. In the last couple of weeks though it seems like people are more aware and considerate which is always nice.

I put it down to the sunshine, which means next week will be business as usual looking at the forecast

Edit: Just remembered one from last nights commute - A road narrows on the approach to a shortish sharpish hill, usually traffic tries to dash past rather than get stuck behind me on the climb as the next passing opportunity is almost a mile away. Last night I heard a large vehicle approach then slow down, he sat behind me all the way to the next passing point when he pulled out and passed me with lots of room (as usual I gave a wave of thanks). He then stopped about 200 yards up the road to turn right and stopped me as well as the rest of the traffic, had to chuckle.

Not many cars on the Cheshire lanes I ride on, but I have noticed Audi drivers are very considerate and cross right over into the other lane when they overtake me. On the other hand Volvo drivers seem reluctant to cross the white line.

I had a land rover sit behind me, patiently at a safe distance for half a mile rather than force his way past on windy lanes, even when the road straightened out they still waited as they were going to turn off in a couple of hundred yards.

turning right at a set of lights, a crossroads both opposite roads filtering into a one way roads, I have to cross onto the far side of the road to get to the cycle lane, nice chap in a Audi didn't move until I was safely across and then gave me plenty of room

Today, dock road, liverpool, nice Hyundai driver stops on the inside lane of a dual carrigeway,and his freind leans out to kindly tell a lycraed up roadie cyclist not to ride on the pavement,the roadie tried pointing out the road was dangerous, but the driver and his freind knew better.

Unusually for me I managed two trips to work by bike last week and encountered almost exclusively pleasant drivers. A couple of thoughtless but perfectly safe bits of driving were the only exceptions.

The two below were especially pleasant amongst the good driving.

Top marks to the chap in the Bora who waited patiently for me to grind the last 200yards through the pinch point on Hunts Pond Road near Southampton when it was his priority but slightly uphill for me and I would have needed to slow right up to let him go.

Special mention for the S class Merc driver to who twice waited patiently for a safe overtake and then passed at a very wide berth at full bore before slowing down gently for the queuing traffic a short distance up the road. I have a sneaking suspicion he was looking for an excuse to save up a big thump of the throttle for some empty tarmac. Despite the arguable futilty he was incredibly courteous and I quite enjoyed the news of him rumbling past.

To be fair, the majority of my encounters with drivers are with seemingly thoughtful individuals.

I've found that a pre-emptive "thank you/sorry" wave as they overtake works wonders in that they then find it very difficult to shout abuse once you've said thanks (for them holding back or whatever).

Started a descent the other day, long winding road and glanced back to see a 4x4 following me but he held back a respectful distance and allowed me to use the full width of the road on the early sharp bends. Once the road straightened out, I moved left and he did a nice wide overtake, I waved thanks and he did a left-right-left on his indicators.

Just that small acknowledgement is really nice. Truck drivers are surprisingly good with that too - behave nicely/considerately towards them and they'll generally be extra nice back.

Zone 2 recovery ride round the south cambs villages on Saturday, I heard a rather fruity engine being driven enthusiastically in the distance and prepared to be passed fast and close. Instead as soon as I was in sight, he eased right off and followed at a safe distance (it was at a slow uphill drag) he could have got past relatively safely especially with the power he had but didn't. When he did pass he gave a cheery wave as did I. Gentlemen driver in a gentlemen's Morgan.

Had an unrepairable tyre blowout whilst out on a road ride. After walking for a bit a motorist pulls over asks if I need a lift. Put the bike in the back and dropped me in town (about 3 miles away) and just in time to buy a new tyre before the shops closed for the night. Had I walked the whole way I would never have got to the shop before it closed and I would have been hobbling due to the look road cleats.

Many cyclists rode past without offering any assistance. Cyclists are all mean.

Had a van sit behind me for a few miles today (it was all downhill!). I slowed down a little and pulled over to the edge on a couple of the flatter sections thinking they would overtake, but they patiently sat behind (a good distance away) and let me get on with it. Gave them a wave when they finally passed me on the resulting climb from the bottom. It's always nice when people don't act on the irrational and impulsive urgency to overtake cyclists at the earliest opportunity. Instead choosing to enjoy their drive. It is much more relaxing for everyone I find.

The taxi driver that ran me over breaking my ankle, wrist and a few ribs and fingers stopped a mile or so down the road to report an accident, and gave his real name!?? Eagle eyed pedestrian got his reg. He never went to court and the rozzers believe he chipped back to his home country.

I've had lots of positive driver experiences while cycling, often while approaching roundabouts or going down big hills they will wait respectfully behind, giving me room & not overtaking until it's good. These drivers get a thumbs up from me when they pass. But sometimes drivers are too kind & I do get mildly annoyed with drivers who let me through or over when they have right of way. I've planned my move expecting them to pull out & then they motion me through, usually I would just wave them on, just like I was driving.

Started a descent the other day, long winding road and glanced back to see a 4x4 following me but he held back a respectful distance and allowed me to use the full width of the road on the early sharp bends.

Oh, I know it's not the spirit of the thread, but yesterday I had a merc estate come flying past me on the first 50yards of a downhill, right at the blind right hand bend as I was holding my place in a line of traffic

Luckily he managed to jam on and slow to a **** crawl immediately after doing so, to "safely" navigate the bend. If I'd caught him up after I recovered the skid/footout to minimise the likely impact I'd have emptied the new contents of my shorts onto his bonnet

Christ, I've started replying to myself
(actually reminded of this by fatgit's dangerous driver thread)

Last road ride; 40 limit, me doing about 25, coming up to a cattle grid followed by a traffic-calming ostacle where I'd have to use the other side of the road. Range-Rover Sport with heavy tints behind me slowed down to let me through first rather than overtake.

After the obstacle, the RR and the Berlingo behind it overtook me as we approached the next calming obstacle, this time favouring our side of the road. Berlingo definitely slowed down to prevent an oncoming car sneaking out after him and into my way.

Another half a mile on and a woman in a 4x4 at an oddish crossroads waited "ages" to let me by before she pulled out.